title: CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes and ischaemic stroke. Part I: CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes and common carotid artery intima-media thickness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  More and more data point to the involvement of the CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocyte subpopulation in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke. This paper attempts to answer the question of whether an increase in the percentage of CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes in the blood may be associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved a group of 109 patients, aged 45 to 65 years, including 42 patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke, experiencing symptoms resulting from disturbances of the anterior area of cerebral circulation, arterial hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (group 1). Group 2 consisted of 34 patients with above-mentioned risk factors but without ischaemic stroke. The control group comprised 33 healthy individuals. Distribution of sex and mean age was comparable. The IMT of carotid arteries was measured by ultrasonography. Flow cytometry was applied to determine the percentage of CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The IMT was significantly greater in patients with stroke than in patients without stroke. No significant correlation was found between the proportion of CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes in the blood and the IMT of carotid arteries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significant proportion of CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes in patients with ischaemic stroke points to the involvement of the cells in the pathogenesis of stroke. The CD4⁺CD28⁻ lymphocytes are not involved in the pathomechanism of common carotid arteries IMT thickening in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Klinika Neurologii, Pomorski Uniwersytet Medyczny, ul. Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin, Polska. drechan@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Drechsler
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masztalewicz
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Safranow
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nowacki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018106:CD28 Antigens